Devil Dog Dad
by Back-in-Black-Finchel
Summary: Finn's a newly-retired Marine, as well as a new single dad just trying to hold it all together when he meets Broadway sensation, Rachel Berry. He falls for her - hard. And to his complete amazement, she falls for him in return. But nothing is ever as easy as it seems. Still, they're tethered, and nothing is going to keep them apart. Or, you know… so they think.


_**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Glee**_** or FOX.**_

**Author's Note: So… I've had this saved for quite some time and I finally decided to post it. AU. Totally different from the "Beginnings, Ends…"-verse, but still filled with finchel goodness. Finn's a newly-retired Marine, as well as a new single dad just trying to hold it all together, when he meets Broadway sensation, Rachel Berry. He falls for her. Hard. And to his complete amazement, she falls for him in return. But nothing is ever as easy as it seems – love, especially. Still, they're tethered, and nothing is going to keep them apart. Or, you know… so they think.**

**Chapter 1 – Bombs Away**

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, twirling his wine glass around and around on the table as his knee bobs up and down underneath. It's only been about two months since they started dating, but things are moving fast – _really_ fast. Like, he-knows-she's-the-one fast. Still, there's just one small (ok, hugely, insanely massive) part of his life that he hasn't had the wherewithal to let her in on yet: he has a kid.

"Finn?"

"Huh?" Finn blinks, his head snapping up to break his blank stare at the plate of spaghetti before him.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asks softly as her chocolate eyes darken with worry. "You seem really distracted."

"I'm sorry," Finn shakes his head. He straightens up in his seat, thinking that his C.O. would kill him if he were sitting like that in the mess. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Her face falls a bit and he reaches out across the table to hold her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers.

"Which is no excuse for being rude," he says quietly. "I'm sorry, Rach. What were you saying?"

She smiles a bit and gives his hand a squeeze.

"Having a lot on your mind doesn't mean you're being rude," she reassures him.

His heart skips a beat. _That's_ why he loves her with all of his heart and soul. She's so kind and forgiving – so, well, _sweet_. She's so different from him. Sure, he's nice and all, but she's, like, so innocent and pure, as if she's the cure for every bit of heartache he's ever had. Sometimes he really does think she's an angel – you know, if they actually exist.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks kindly.

A nervous smile comes and goes on his face. This is it. Now or never.

"Uh, well," he nods a bit, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand, "there _is_ something I've, uh, been meaning to talk to you about…"

He can feel her hold on his hand loosen ever so slightly as her eyes cloud over with what he thinks is fear and his heart almost breaks in two. From the first time he talked to her in that bar in Midtown he could tell she was walking wounded, afraid of getting her heart broken again (by some assholes that he wants to personally show the full extent of his close combat training, but that's another story).

"You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" she asks brokenly, pulling her hand out of his. "That's why you've been so distracted lately."

"No!" he exclaims, shaking his head.

"We moved too fast, didn't we? I scared you away, too," she swallows hard before getting up. "I shouldn't have made you come out of the stage door with me where all the fans and paparazzi could see you."

"No, Rachel," he launches himself out of his chair and gently grabs her arm. "I love you. I would never break up with you," he says earnestly, walking in front of her so he can look into her now-watery amber eyes.

Her eyes widen and she looks up at him in mild shock, her mouth slightly agape as they both realize what he just said. Not that it isn't the truth, because he loves her more than he's ever loved any woman (other than his mom, of course, but, _gross_, not in _this_ kind of way), but he hadn't exactly planned on dropping the bomb on her tonight. Well, not _that _bomb, anyway.

"You… you _love_ me?" Rachel asks quietly.

Finn feels his heart plummet to his feet again. Her voice is so timid, as if she's afraid she misheard him… or as if she's afraid to believe it. Or maybe it's because she's just not ready to hear it yet.

"I… I'm sorry, Rachel, I didn't mean to tell you so soon," Finn reaches up to run his hand though his already messy hair. "I… I didn't mean to scare you, it just sort of came out."

Rachel's shocked expression melts into a gentle smile as she looks up at him.

"You didn't scare me," she says somewhat amusedly before her expression grows a bit more serious. "I… I love you, too, Finn."

For a moment he forgets about everything he has to tell her as a goofy sideways grin forms on his face. His heart is in his throat and he honestly just wants to wrap his arms around her and never let go because, God, he's never heard a more beautiful thing in his life – except, you know, when Sophie called him "Daddy" for the first time, because that will always be tops for him.

_Sophie_. And suddenly his smile falters a bit. He loves her with all his heart and it's not like he's ashamed of being a single dad because, hell, that's not it at all – he adores his Soph-a-loaf. It's just that he should have told Rachel, like, eons ago and never did because he chickened out every single time he tried. And now he _has _to tell her because things are getting really serious really fast, and, honestly, Rachel should know he has a daughter, because, well, these are things you tell people you're seriously involved with.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Rachel asks, her dark eyes searching his.

"Oh, um," he swallows, gesturing towards one of the barstool seats on the other side of Rachel's island counter. "You might… you might wanna sit down."

Rachel worriedly frowns a bit, but sits anyway. By the way she's sitting he can tell he made her uneasy, and, yeah, he probably could have found a better way to do this, but sue him, he's doing the best he can.

"I don't, uh, really know how to say this other than to come right out and do it," he says softly, looking into Rachel's eyes for a moment before looking down at the counter. "I, um," he hesitates, slowly bringing his eyes up to meet hers again, "Rachel, I have a daughter."

Her eyes widen and her mouth drops wide open to form a perfect "O". He opens and closes his mouth for a few moments, trying to find the words to explain.

"Were you married before?" she asks quietly, her eyes darting to his ring finger for a moment.

"No, no, nothing like that. She's, um, she's actually not biologically mine," he answers, nervously playing with the prongs of a fork lying on the counter near the sink. His heart aches as his mind flashes back to a million painful memories – the same ones that he recalls every time he has to explain this. "My best friend, we joined the Marines together…" his voice trailed off for a moment as he looks away from Rachel, "he didn't make it back from Iraq, and, uh…" he shrugs, unable to look up at her anymore. "Her mom skipped out when she was a baby, and I adopted her when I got back." He hangs his head and shrugs again. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I should have told you a long time ago, I just… I… things were going so well and I was… I was… scared, I guess, that you wouldn't… want all of that. Mostly I don't tell girls because I don't want them to walk in an out of her life like it's nothing, but I-I know you wouldn't ever do that to her. Not that I, like, date a ton of people or anything, it's jus-"

He doesn't know what hit him for a few seconds until he realizes that Rachel is kissing him and her arms are wrapped securely around his body. His heart is pounding a mile a minute because of how nervous he is, and he's sure she can feel it, which makes his ears glow red, but, _man_, does it feel good to be in her arms.

When they finally pull apart, she reaches up to cup his cheek in her hand and brushes her thumb back and forth across his smooth skin.

"…Ok," he breathes nervously, smiling a bit. "Wasn't expecting that…"

"Mmm," she nods, smiling back at him. "Welcome to the club."

He lets out a small laugh and anxiously licks his lips.

"It's a game changer, I know," he mumbles, looking at the floor.

"So is falling in love," she points out. "So is the fact that I'm chased by paparazzi and fans when I'm just walking on the sidewalk or going to get lunch with you."

He looks back up at her to see a gentle smile on her face.

"What are you saying?" he asks quietly.

"I'm saying that," she pauses for a moment and shrugs before continuing, "you having a daughter, though admittedly and definitely a surprise, isn't going to deter me from being in a relationship with you, Finn. Quite the opposite, actually."

He opens his mouth to reply, but she holds up her hand.

"And, _yes_, I'm aware of the responsibility that I now have with regards to your daughter and my future relationship with her, and, _no_, that doesn't scare me," she continues. "I'm probably not completely aware of what it entails, simply because I've never done this sort of thing, but I promise I'll try my best."

A small smile starts to tug at the corners of his mouth because she's totally reading his mind and honestly all he wants to do right now is kiss her senseless.

"Besides, you were hesitant to tell me because you were afraid that I wouldn't want to be that involved, but… what if I did 'want all of that'?" she asks softly before a huge grin spreads from ear-to-ear on his face. She gives him a beaming smile and sweet kiss in return. "So, what's her name?" she asks, pulling away enough to look into his eyes.

"Sophie," he answers, still somewhat shocked. "Her name's Sophie." His heart swells at the thought of his little girl just like always. "She's two."

"So, tell me about her!" Rachel says excitedly. "What's she like?"

He almost can't believe his ears. This is better than the best possible thing he thought could have happened. Rachel isn't just ok with it – she's _excited_. She's excited that he has a daughter. She didn't run, she didn't cry, she didn't yell at him for not telling her sooner. No. She's off-the-charts excited.

"She's _really_ smart," he starts, "and really shy, but, like, the most adorable kid you've ever seen…"

**gleegleegleeglee**

Finn nervously shuffles his feet on the pavement as Rachel's car pulls up to the curb. His can't help but feel self-conscious as she gets out of the car. His neighborhood is so much different than hers. It's not in Manhattan – not even close. It's probably a little too rough a neighborhood to be raising a kid in, but he's doing the best he can on a military pension and teacher's salary for the part-time gig he got leading an ROTC squad at the local high school. And here she is – Rachel Berry, Broadway star and singing sensation, coming to his place to meet Sophie for the first time. Even the notion of being in a relationship with her is a blur to begin with, but it happened and she's about to meet his daughter.

She waves and gives him a heartwarming smile when she sees him, and he can't help but wonder why she hasn't noticed that she's standing in the middle of a rundown neighborhood.

"Hey!" she chirps happily, practically running up to him before kissing him soundly.

"Hi," he smiles against her lips, momentarily forgetting how nervous he is. "You look beautiful," he says softly.

"Oh, thank you," Rachel blushes, tugging at the sleeve of her fitted black blazer. "How's Sophie?" she asks.

He smiles. Ever since he told her, Rachel's been asking about Sophie all the time. His heart swells at how excited she is, even though he can tell she's really nervous, too. They probably would have done this even sooner, but Rachel has shows most nights and he knew Sophie would be most comfortable with meeting her in a natural environment like his place with him cooking her favorite dinner.

"She's doing really well," he nods, his smile faltering just a bit. "She had kind of a rough night last night, but she's ok."

"Is she sick?" Rachel asks worriedly.

"No, no," Finn shakes his head. "Remember I told you she has nightmares a lot?"

Rachel nods, her eyes clouding over with worry.

"Poor baby," she murmurs.

He gives her a soft, reassuring smile. The last thing he wants to do right now is complicate things. Rachel should at least get the chance to meet his munchkin before he gets into details. And, yeah, there are a _ton_ of details – most not so happy.

"She'll be fine," Finn says, taking Rachel's hand in his and leading her towards the building. "She's a tough cookie."

Rachel nods and gives his hand a squeeze. He squeezes right back.

"She's gonna love you," he murmurs, kissing the top of Rachel's head as they start up the stairs.

"I hope so," Rachel sighs nervously.

"Just, um…" he stops on the second floor stair landing and looks into Rachel's eyes, "don't mention the word 'mom' if you can avoid it. Not that you would anyway, but still…"

Rachel looks at him questioningly, her eyebrows furrowing a bit.

"Remember how I told you her mom skipped out a long time ago?" Finn asks.

See? More details.

Rachel nods.

"She showed up a little while back saying she wanted Sophie after all," he explains quietly. "…It wasn't exactly a happy reunion…"

He swears he can see a flicker of anger in Rachel's eyes before she purses her lips and gives him a tense nod. Her eyes darken and he feels her tighten her hold on his hand ever so slightly. He can't shake the feeling that maybe her broken heart isn't solely from past boyfriends.

"Uh," he breathes, breaking the silence, "Not that there's a ton to see, but I figured I'd give you a tour of my place and then run over to get Soph at my neighbor's; she's watching her while I was downstairs."

A gentle smile crosses Rachel's face and she leans in to nuzzle his shoulder.

"I'm sure it's lovely, Finn," she says softly. "And that sounds great."

"Lovely," Finn repeats before letting out a small, nervous laugh. "Right."

Yeah, because Rachel, who lives in Midtown Manhattan, is totally going to think his cramped sardine can of an apartment is just "lovely". Sure, he knows she isn't like that – she won't judge him or belittle him because he doesn't have what she does, but it doesn't make him any less self-conscious (especially after seeing _her_ place…).

Still, he swallows his nerves and digs his keys out of his jacket pocket to open the door.

**gleegleegleeglee**

Her heart aches a little at how nervous he looks, how self-conscious, and she mentally berates herself for inviting him to her place because she knows he's now comparing his life to hers. He has the look in his eyes again – the one he gets far too often. It's the one that says he's feeling inadequate or ashamed or down on himself in any way. He's such an amazing person, and she asks herself every time she sees that look why he can't see himself like she sees him.

His place is actually very cute – you know, for a bachelor pad. There's a faint smell of Windex and Lysol, and she knows he spent the day cleaning everything just for her. Everything is kind of retro, almost perfectly fitting the building and the neighborhood. It's probably the original furniture, she realizes. The floor is terracotta-like clay-colored tile, and the countertops are linoleum. From the doorway, almost every living space is visible, except for a small hallway that probably leads to the bathroom and bedrooms.

Most importantly, however, is that it smells like Finn and home and love, and there's a neat pile of colorful toddler-age toys just beside the brown-twill-like couch in the family room. A sweet smile crosses her face at the thought of him playing with Sophie at night after work, the toys sprawled out in complete disarray. It sounds crazy, but she kind of wishes he hadn't cleaned up his place. Normally she can't stand messes or disorder whatsoever, but there's something about Finn that makes it totally acceptable and adorable (…and sexy, but that's another story).

"Uh, yeah," he says anxiously. "So, this is my place. There's the family room, kitchen, balcony out back," he pauses, leading her through the apartment and towards the hallway, "the bathroom…" he stops and frowns a bit as if to ask himself why he just showed her the bathroom, which makes her smile, "and my room…"

She peeks into his room. It's quaint, just like the rest of the house. Very Finn-like, she muses to herself. Everything's kind of dark in terms of color, but military-man neat. There are a few pictures hung on the walls of people she doesn't yet recognize, and there's a big Marine Corps flag above the TV on his dresser. She smiles and lets him lead her to the last room of the house, which must be Sophie's.

"And this is Sophie's room," Finn says, stopping outside the door.

It's completely different from every other room in the house. Sophie's room is bright and colorful, modern and cute.

"Can I go in?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah, of course," Finn smiles.

She walks into the room, pushing the door open a little further. The walls are a soft yellow, with a beautifully painted picture of Cinderella's castle above her bed. Toys line almost every inch, and there's a huge bookshelf full to the brim near a rocking chair in the corner. Sophie's name is spelled out in white letters in a semi-circle above the castle. Pictures of she and Finn are everywhere, making an ear-to-ear smile spread across Rachel's face.

"Wow," she breathes. "Did you do all of this?"

"Not really," Finn laughs a bit. "I made sure it was all level and assembled correctly. That's about it. My brother, Kurt, did all of the paintings and decorating and stuff. He's a fashion designer, so he's good at this stuff."

Rachel's eyes widen as she recognizes one of the people with Finn and Sophie in the picture on the dresser.

"Kurt, as in _Kurt Hummel_? Your brother is Kurt Hummel?" she blinks.

"Yeah. Well, stepbrother, technically," Finn nods, surprised. "You know him?"

"Not personally, really," she shakes her head and shrugs. "I wear a ton of his designs, though. He's kind of my go-to Tony's designer. I've met him a few times for fittings and at his shows."

"Huh," Finn muses, smirking. "Small world."

"Very," she smiles, nodding as she takes another look around the room.

She can't help but wish that she had gotten to know Kurt a little better. Maybe she would have met Finn sooner. Either way it makes her feel closer to Finn, which makes her heart swell. When she looks back at her boyfriend, he's watching her with a sort of love-struck expression that makes her knees go weak and ears glow red.

"What?" she asks quietly, trying to bite back a beaming smile.

Finn gives her that smile – the one that drives her absolutely crazy. It's that little coy smirk where his mouth twitches a little at first before a sweet, goofy sideways grin tugs at his lips.

"Nothing, nothing," he shakes his head, smirking amusedly. "You're just kind of well… _perfect_, that's all."

She bites her lip and shakes her head, her eyes falling from his until she fixes her gaze on the carpet.

"No, I'm not," she says quietly.

Before she knows it, she feels his fingers under her chin, gently tipping her head up so her eyes meet his again.

"You are to me," Finn says softly, shrugging a bit.

The look in his eyes is so real it makes her heart ache with how much she loves him. No one has ever said anything like that to her, and he says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. That's one of the things she loves so much about Finn – he's honest and loving and just, well, _kind_.

She reaches her arm behind his neck and pulls him closer until their lips meet in a kiss that's not sultry or even remotely sexy, but sweet and heartfelt. And when they pull apart, his lips linger close to hers for a few moments as she brushes her thumb back and forth just behind his ear.

"I love you," she whispers.

"I love you, too, Rachel," he murmurs back.

They stay like that for a little while longer until they both pull away, Rachel trailing her hand over his cheek and down his neck until it rests over his heart.

"You ready to meet Sophie?" he asks softly, giving her a gentle smile.

"Absolutely," she beams.

His smile widens.

"I'll go get her," he nods, turning to walk out of Sophie's room.

Rachel follows him back through the house and he gives her another gentle, reassuring smile before heading out the front door. She lets out a soft, content sigh as the door shuts. Never in her life did she ever think that she'd be involved in a whirlwind romance – let alone with an ex-Marine single dad, but it's happening and, _boy_, does she have it bad for him. Like, she-knows-he's-the-one bad.

In no time she hears the sound of Finn's muffled voice as he nears the door. His tone is softer and sweeter than she's ever heard before, and it makes her heart skip a beat. Adrenaline pours through her body as the doorknob turns. She loves children (she's never been particularly good with them or had a ton of experience, but she loves them), and she can't wait to meet Sophie, but she wouldn't be kidding anyone if she said she wasn't nervous. Her heart breaks a little when she remembers what Finn said about Sophie's birth mother, and she desperately tries to stop thinking of her own as the front door starts to open.

She doesn't know how it's possible, but Sophie's even cuter than she was in the pictures Finn showed her. Her straight chocolate-brown hair falls to her shoulders, and her big hazel eyes are a shade Rachel's never seen before. Her arms are wrapped tightly around Finn's neck and her forehead is pressed against his jaw. They fit together perfectly, Rachel realizes, and she can't help the ear-to-ear smile that spreads across her face. When Sophie looks at her for the first time, Rachel's heart swells with something, some sort of feeling she's never experienced before.

"Sophie, this is Rachel," Finn says softly, propping Sophie up a little higher so he can look into her eyes.

"Hi, sweetie," Rachel says gently, slowly walking a little closer.

Sophie blinks at her for a moment before looking over at Finn in question.

"It's ok, Soph," he reassures her. "You can talk to her. Rachel's really, really nice."

Sophie looks at him for a few more moments before turning back to Rachel.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"Your Daddy has told me so much about you," Rachel says kindly.

Sophie looks at Finn for a moment before giving Rachel a small nod.

"You, too," she says cautiously, almost critically, and Finn audibly swallows.

Rachel studies Sophie for a moment. She knows the look in Sophie's eyes, the wary outer shell used to keep strangers from breaking in. She knows it because it's hers, too. It's the same look she gets when she's on the red carpet, recognized in public, or her nose is insulted by some critic – the one that started in preschool and was set in stone at age sixteen. She can't help thinking that maybe, just maybe she and Sophie aren't actually all that different. Maybe all she needs to do is find common ground, to get Sophie to see that she's not there to hurt her.

"I love your shirt," Rachel says sweetly.

Sophie looks down at her pink T-shirt with Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_ emblazoned on the front.

"Thank you," Sophie says almost inaudibly.

"Is Belle your favorite Disney Princess?" Rachel asks.

Curiosity flickers through Sophie's eyes and she nods.

"She's mine, too," Rachel grins. "Because she's smart-"

"An' strong," Sophie adds.

Rachel just smiles and nods, and a small smile tugs the corners of Sophie's mouth upward. Bingo. She's in.

"There's that smile," Rachel teases gently, which makes Sophie's smile grow ever so slightly until it's a toothy grin.

Rachel's eyes flicker back to Finn's for a moment, and she honestly thinks she's never seen him look so happy.

"That's my girl," he murmurs, kissing Sophie on the cheek. "Do you want to, maybe, show Rachel some of your toys while Daddy cooks dinner?"

Rachel looks at him questioningly, an amused expression on her face. He's going to cook? And he thinks _she's_ perfect?

"I didn't know your Daddy can cook," Rachel smiles at Sophie.

"Yep," Sophie nods somewhat proudly.

"Ha," Finn smirks triumphantly, making Rachel laugh. "Told ya." He looks at Sophie, "So, what do you say, squirt?"

Sophie takes another long look at Rachel before nodding.

"Ok," she agrees before Finn gives her another kiss on the cheek and lowers her to the ground.

"Wanna play pirates?" Sophie asks softly.

Rachel kneels down and looks into Sophie's big hazel eyes, giving her a gentle smile. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Finn smiling as he tries to stifle a laugh. Princess on the outside, pirate underneath. A girl after her own heart.

"I would _love_ that," she nods.

**gleegleegleeglee**

"Sorry about that," Finn says quietly as he sits down across from Rachel at the kitchen table. "I have to stay with her until she falls asleep."

"Don't apologize," Rachel shakes her head.

He nods a bit and sits back in his chair, studying Rachel for a few moments. He doesn't know how she did it, but she totally won Sophie over. A smile spreads across his face as he looks at her across the table.

"What?" she smirks and he shakes his head. "She's _amazing_," Rachel says softly, rubbing her thumb through the condensation on the outside of her glass of water as she looks into his eyes.

"Thanks," Finn smiles a bit. "You're really great with her, you know," he adds, leaning forward in his chair and laughing a bit. "Like, the way you caught her when she jumped out of the tub and ran through the house ass naked – that was impressive."

Really, you don't have to be a genius to know that any woman willing to pick up your soapy, naked, laughing kid (who isn't hers, by the way) and bring her back to the bathtub because she ran away from you as a joke, is a keeper.

"Finn, language!" Rachel protests, gently swatting his arm.

"She's asleep!" he laughs.

Rachel narrows her eyes at him and he has to bite back a laugh because, come on, she's really damn cute when she's trying to be intimidating.

"Ok, ok," he concedes. "_Butt_ naked."

"Better," she smiles. "And it's not a big deal. She's two, Finn."

"Most people would still freak out," he shrugs.

It's true. He's seen it. His last girlfriend couldn't even handle a runny nose.

"Oh?" Rachel smirks. "You have a lot of experience with girls being here while you're getting Sophie ready for bed?"

"What?" he blinks. "N-No!"

His heart starts to race and he shakes his head vigorously. He starts to panic inside because, oh, _shit_, please don't say that's actually what she thinks of him.

"Relax," Rachel giggles, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. "I'm just teasing you."

He lets out a nervous breath and a deep sigh.

"Oh…" he smiles a bit. "Good."

She smiles and gives his hand a gentle squeeze.

"You're a really great dad, Finn," she says softly.

He feels his ears start to get hot and his goofy grin forms on his face. It feels good to hear that, especially from Rachel. Of course he's not a perfect dad, like, at _all_, but he tries really hard, you know? He just wants Sophie to be happy, even with everything that's happened to her in her two years of life – _especially_ with everything that's happened to her.

"Thanks," he says, pushing his hand against hers so their fingers intertwine. "She really likes you, by the way," he smiles gently.

By the way Rachel smiles, he honestly doesn't think he's ever seen her happier. It's like this beautiful, totally open happy smile that literally makes him want to just kiss her and hug her and never let go because she's just _that_ perfect. Then again, it kind of almost breaks his heart at the same time because it's like she hasn't experienced the feeling of _family_ in a long time.

"Honestly, I haven't seen her this happy in awhile," he says softly.

A flicker of happiness lights up Rachel's dark eyes for a moment before her smile fades a bit.

"She hasn't exactly had it easy, has she?" Rachel asks quietly. "Or _you_, for that matter."

He lets out a long sigh and shrugs. His heart aches at the thought of dredging up the past, but he knows Rachel needs to know the whole story. Plus, he thinks that maybe, just maybe, she'll understand more than anyone else does. There's something in the way she acts around Sophie – like, a wounded sort of protectiveness. Rachel's protective of everyone; he knows that because of the way she kept him away from the fans when they left out the stage door for their date last week, and the way she tried to shield him from the paparazzi when she was spotted outside the restaurant (which was kind of funny considering he's more than a foot taller than her). But, even then, there's something different when she's with Sophie. So, maybe telling Rachel won't be so bad. Or maybe she'll get so freaked out by the whole thing she'll walk out the door and never look back, but he forces that thought out of his mind.

"It all started, like, four years ago, I guess," he explained quietly, running his finger over a small scratch on the wooden tabletop. "I met this girl, Quinn, and we started dating." He looked up at Rachel, ready for her to be staring daggers of jealously back at him like his last girlfriend, but instead she just looked completely calm. "Well, it turns out that my best friend, Puck, had a thing for her."

Rachel's eyes widen ever so slightly, and he can tell that she's already putting two-and-two together with what he told her of how he came to be Sophie's guardian.

"Everything was fine until this one time we were on leave about three-and-a-half years ago," he continues, his eyes dropping from hers again. "We were over in Quantico waiting for redeployment, and she came down to visit. I hadn't seen her in a couple months and…" he swallows, his ears turning bright red, "…we… is this too weird for you?"

He timidly looks up at Rachel, and she's looking back at him with this sort of gentle-but-amused smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Finn, I'm not exactly under the illusion that you were a virgin before we had sexual intercourse," she says simply.

He blinks at her for a few moments before shrugging and has to bite back a laugh at the fact that she said "sexual intercourse" instead of just plain old "sex" because that's just, well, _Rachel_. Still, he has to hesitate a moment because it makes him wonder just how many girls she thinks he's been with. Not that it really matters anymore, because if he has his way, he'll only be with one girl from here on in: Rachel.

"Ok. _Anyway_," he continues, "Puck and I quickly redeployed with the rest of our unit, and things went back to normal." He sighs and shrugs. "Until I got a call from her saying she was pregnant and the baby was mine."

Rachel's eyes darken, and he knows she's fully aware of what he's about to say.

"It didn't really make sense to me because she was on the pill, and, because I was just staring out in Force Recon after so much training and the last thing I would ever need was a kid, I even wore a condom," he says somewhat awkwardly. "But, I guess I just assumed stuff happens, because she was pregnant and I believed her when she said it was mine."

He's gullible, ok? He knows that. But when your girlfriend says she's pregnant with your baby, it's kind of a douche move to call her a liar. He believed her. So sue him.

When he peels his eyes from the tabletop to look at Rachel, she's looking at him like she just wants to hug him and never let go. She's not judging him, not calling him an idiot in her mind as he tells the story. She just looks… like she really… _loves_ him, you know?

"But it wasn't," he shrugs sheepishly. "It was Puck's, as you probably already figured out." He sighs heavily and spins the saltshaker in a circle. "My girlfriend was cheating on me with my best friend, and she got pregnant."

"And told you the baby was yours," Rachel says quietly.

"…And told me the baby was mine," he repeats, nodding.

She sighs and shakes her head.

"Well, anyway," he continues, "I, uh, you know, was trying to deal with her, and the baby, and being in an active war zone in one of the most demanding combat units in the whole damn military, and…" he sighs, "well, it wasn't exactly the easiest few months of my life, but whatever…" he looks up at Rachel. "One night Puck got ahold of some alcohol and managed to get wasted," he shrugs, "and loose-lipped."

He pauses a moment as her hand tightens around his, as if she can feel how hard it is for him to talk about all of this. He'd never admit it, but all he kind of wants is for Rachel to wrap her arms around him and never let go. It's just safer there. No ex-girlfriends, no cheating best friends, no pain, none of Sophie's nightmares that make _him_ want to cry. Just Rachel. And Sophie, of course. Because he needs his Soph-a-loaf.

"He let the whole thing slip," he says quietly. "I confronted her about it, and she told me the truth, so I broke up with her and threatened to kill him if he didn't take care of her for the sake of the baby. I even requested a unit transfer, but somehow got promoted instead, so, at least I could kick Puck's ass in PT. You know, make him do some extra stuff just to give him hell?"

And this is where it starts to get really hard – right when he has to explain how it felt, how much it sucked to have this baby who he loved so much just ripped away from him like _that_ because it wasn't his. Because Sophie wasn't his.

"But it still sucked, you know? It still sucked because for, like, a couple of months I had a kid, and I was gonna be a dad, and it was scary as hell, but I loved her, you know?" he rambles. "And then suddenly she wasn't mine anymore, and _surprise_, she's your best friend's and _your_ girlfriend's kid."

He stops for a few moments when he feels Rachel pull his hand closer to her, and his head snaps up when he feels her lips against his knuckles. His heart is racing, and he's not sure if it's because of the bad memories or the fact that her touch is so warm and gentle. Maybe a little of both. It scares him a little, too – the vulnerability of the moment. But, then again, it doesn't really, because when he's with Rachel, he feels protected. She won't hurt him like almost everyone else does. She cares, _really_ cares. There's something incredibly soothing about telling her this whole thing. Of all the times he's recounted it, this is the first that he actually feels like he's getting it all off his chest. So, he squeezes her hand and continues on.

"Things were tense between Puck and I for a long time," he says. "Especially after Quinn had the baby."

"Sophie," Rachel says quietly.

"…Sophie," he affirms, nodding.

"But, after awhile," he shrugs, "I guess I just realized that, even as mad as I was at Puck and Quinn, I couldn't be mad at Sophie. She was totally innocent, you know?"

"And you still loved her," Rachel gently points out.

He shifts uncomfortably in his chair.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" he mumbles.

"Finn!" Rachel says so sharply that his head snaps up so his eyes meet hers. "_Pathetic_ is what Quinn did to you. You loving the little girl you believed was your daughter? That's the furthest thing from pathetic. That's having a good heart and being a great father. Don't ever be ashamed of that. You're an amazing person, Finn. Don't ever think differently… _please_."

He gives her a small smile and holds her hand a little tighter. He can't help but wonder why she thinks _he's_ so amazing compared to her. But for some weird reason she loves him, and, hey, that's good enough for him.

"Thanks," he breathes quietly before looking over at the picture on the wall of his Marine Force Recon unit. "Things eventually got better between Puck and I," he continues. "I really wanted to stay mad at him, but we were still brothers in the Corps. Not to mention that it's really unsafe to be out of sync at all in Force Recon. Our missions were highly sensitive, highly classified and extremely dangerous. But the day he died, we were just regrouping after a patrol. We got ambushed." He brushes his thumb over Rachel's fingers as the scenes start to play out in his head again. "In an organized assault, it's common to take out the highest ranking soldiers first. It creates disorder and brings morale way down. But, somehow in all of the chaos, Puck and I picked up one another's helmets…"

Rachel's eyes widen and she lets out a long sigh.

"And you were the commanding officer after your promotion," she says.

"Exactly," he nods. "But because he had my helmet, he was shot instead. He died instantly."

He swallows hard and clears his throat. Even though he and Puck weren't like brothers after everything with Quinn, he still lost his best friend, and it breaks his heart every time he thinks about it.

"When we got back to camp, I was pulled out of the unit for psych leave because of what happened," he explains. "It's what we call 'three hots in a cot'. I did my time like I was supposed to, but for some reason they wouldn't let me go back out with my unit after my three days were up. No explanation, just a no-go for launch. So, the second day I'm still stuck at camp, my unit is deployed on a really spooky mission to go rescue a C.I.A. operative." He has to bite back the hitch in his voice with all his might as more memories keep flooding back. "The two choppers my unit was being transported in were hit. Dirty intel. It was a trap. Same source that sent us out on the patrol that got Puck killed."

He looks intently into Rachel's dark eyes, which are now wide with concern.

"Only one guy survived," he mumbles. "And I'm still sitting pretty back at camp with three squares a day, while all of them are dying."

He lets go of her hand and pulls himself up out of his chair. He hates remembering all of this. He _hates_ it. He hates staring at that picture on the wall knowing every one of his brothers from his unit, to the exception of one, is dead. His head drops so that his chin is almost on his chest and he leans his weight against the kitchen counter.

"Turns out I was held back because social services from the states was looking for Puck," he shrugs. "Quinn did a ding-dong-ditch with Sophie at Puck's mom's, and they were looking for Puck so he could be discharged and sent home to take care of his daughter." He turns and looks at Rachel. "But he was dead, and I was listed as next of kin, so they held me at camp for processing. The next thing I know, I'm given an honorable discharge, sent home to get Soph from Puck's mom and starting life as a single dad to the daughter who was originally supposed to be mine, but wasn't, and now is… in the weirdest, most ironic twist of fate I've ever heard of."

"Wow…" Rachel blinks.

"Yeah, I know. Crazy," he nods. "And so I made it my duty to take care of her. I figured that I was saved for some reason, I guess. I mean, if it weren't for her, I'd probably be dead. It was all kind of a mission to me for awhile – a debt I had to repay to her and Puck, mostly. But…" he smiles, "I don't know, I guess after she called me 'Daddy', we actually became a family, and it works. Or at least it did until Quinn showed up." His smile fades and he has to force back a snarl. "She shows up at my front door begging for Sophie back, saying she's changed. And, like hell I'm gonna give up my daughter, so I said no. Quinn took it to court and," he sighs and rubs his forehead, "Sophie was so damn traumatized by the whole thing. She had to stay at a foster home for a night and then with Quinn for a few days until the adoption could be verified again because I didn't have Quinn's direct consent last time. It only took me one court trial to prove she was an unfit mother, but whatever happened to Sophie during those few days… I mean, for God sakes, the last thing – maybe the _only_ thing – she even remembers of her biological father is him being deployed and never coming back. She doesn't need any more pain than that, and Quinn just-" he stops.

He looks over at Rachel, who has this really protective, almost dangerous glint in her eyes. By the way she's breathing he can tell her heart is racing.

"I'm sorry," he shakes his head. "I'm really laying it all on you, aren't I?"

"Hey, hey, hey," she soothes, getting up and walking over to him. "It's ok. I'm glad you told me. Really. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me all of this." She reaches up and smoothes his hair before brushing her fingertips over his cheek. "Besides," she grins, "I'm your girlfriend; it's what I'm here for."

Suddenly her smile fades and she turns towards Sophie's room.

"What?" he asks worriedly.

Rachel shakes her head, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth slightly agape as he keeps her eyes fixed on Sophie's open door.

"I think she's-" she starts.

"DAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYY!"

**gleegleegleeglee**

It's killing him to see her like this. It's really just killing him. Sophie's been crying for forty-five minutes straight, hanging onto him for dear life as he tries desperately to calm her down. He's rocked her in his arms, whispered reassuring words, said "I love you" an innumerable amount of times, hummed lullabies, rubbed her back, scratched her back, given her countless kisses, bear-hugged her, animated her stuffed animals – _everything_. And it's not working. Not one single thing. She's crying hard as ever and he's just _lost_. Normally she calms down as soon as he pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly, but not tonight. No, tonight it's the worst it's ever been. And it's so insanely confusing, too, because she was having such a great day. She had so much fun with Rachel.

Oh, shit.

Rachel.

He completely forgot she was still in the kitchen.

His head snaps up and he almost jumps right out of his skin when he sees her in the doorway. She's not looking at him, though. She's completely focused on Sophie. Honestly, he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone look so heartbroken in his entire life. Even in the darkness of the room he can see the worry and pain etched on her face.

When she finally brings her eyes up to meet his, she looks at him imploringly as if to ask his permission for her to help. She looks timid – something he's never seen her be in his life.

He nods for her to come in, giving her an attempt at a small, reassuring smile. She reaches down, puts an insulated sippy cup on Sophie's bedside table and quietly walks towards him. There's something tucked under her left arm, too, but he can't make out what it is.

"Hey," he mouths once she's close enough to read his lips in the darkness of the room. "Sorry for-"

"Don't you dare apologize," she replies almost inaudibly.

_There's_ the Rachel he knows and loves. Seriously, every other girl he's ever dated (including Quinn – i.e. Sophie's birth mother) would have been out the door already. But she's not. She's there. And not just in the kitchen waiting, either – right in the trenches beside him.

"Can I maybe…?" she asks silently, looking at Sophie and then back at him.

The timid look is back on her face. It's sort of half like she's afraid to intrude upon his parenting duties and half something else he can't put his finger on. At the same time, she kind of looks like she's about to explode because of how much she wants to help Sophie. Yeah. She's a keeper.

"Please," he whispers.

She gives him a soft, sad smile and kneels down beside the bed.

"Sophie?" she murmurs.

Her tone is so soft and gentle – literally the most soothing thing he's ever heard. She slowly reaches up and places her hand on Sophie's back.

"R-Rachel?" Sophie hiccups, turning her head sideways on his chest so she can see.

By the look in Sophie's eyes, he can tell she's shocked that Rachel is still here. It makes his heart ache, how transient most people are in her life. Judging by Rachel's expression, it's killing her, too.

"Yeah, sweetheart, it's me," Rachel says, giving Sophie a small, gentle smile before her brow furrows with worry. "What's the matter, princess?"

"N-N-Nightmare," Sophie gasps, clutching his shirt tighter.

"A nightmare?" Rachel frowns empathetically as she tucks a few stray locks of hair behind Sophie's ear. "What about?"

"My mommy," Sophie sobs.

"Your mommy taking you away from Daddy?" Rachel asks.

Sophie starts to cry harder and nods, turning her head away.

"Hey, hey, sweetie, look at me," Rachel murmurs calmly, wiping the tears from Sophie's face before cupping her cheek in her hand. "She can't hurt you anymore, Sophie. Daddy made sure she can't do that ever again."

"H-How?" Sophie sniffled, her tears subsiding ever so slightly.

"Well, you know how there are laws and rules that people have to follow – like, you can't just take someone else's stuff or how cars have to stop at 'stop' signs?" Rachel asks softly.

Sophie nods.

"Daddy made sure that she can't come and take you in a court," Rachel hesitates a moment at the confused expression on Sophie's face. "Um, a court is a place where they make sure people follow the rules. And Daddy, he made sure that your mommy can't hurt you ever again with these rules. So, now, it's against the rules for her to do that to you, and if she does try she'll get in _really_ big trouble – not just with Daddy and Uncle Kurt and your whole family, but with the police and other people whose job it is to keep you safe."

He never even _thought_ to explain what happened with Quinn in the trial. Honestly, he didn't think Sophie would understand. She _is_ only two. Super smart for two, but two nonetheless. But Rachel just explained it to her, and by the look on Sophie's face, it worked like a charm. She looks up at him with her big hazel eyes searching for affirmation, her face still red and her eyes puffy from crying.

"Rachel's right, Soph," he gives her a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

"Besides, Daddy would never let her hurt you," Rachel grins, playfully toying with Sophie's toes. "He'll always protect you because he loves you more than anything and anyone."

Sophie actually smiles at that, nestling against his chest. He hugs her tighter and presses a kiss into her hair.

"It's true," he grins against her forehead.

"There's no need to be afraid, sweetheart," Rachel soothes. "I know nightmares can be really, really scary, but your mommy can't take you away. Not while Daddy's here."

"And I'll always be here. I promise," Finn adds, wiping the last of Sophie's tears from her cheeks. He smiles at her. "I'm so proud of you, Soph-a-loaf. You're such a brave big girl."

She is; there's no doubt about it. She's gone through more in her two years of life than most adults ever will and somehow she still manages to keep that beautiful smile he loves so much on her face.

Sophie smiles a bit as he kisses the tip of her nose.

"You _are_ very brave, Sophie," Rachel smiles. "Just like-," she pauses before pulling a plush Merida and a _Brave_-inspired children's book from under her arm.

"Merida!" Sophie squeals, quickly grabbing the toy and hugging it to her chest.

Yeah. Rachel's perfect. No doubt about it. He told her that Sophie really harped on the movie _Brave_ in passing because he was taking her to see it for, like, the fourth time two days ago, and she remembered.

Sophie's love of the movie is a little odd to him – largely because of her mommy issues and, like, the _entire_ movie is about Merida and her mom. But, whatever. She likes it and that's good enough for him. But by the way she's acting with Rachel, he's starting to wonder if she's actually kind of looking for something like that.

He looks over at Rachel, his gaze appreciative and soft.

"Rach, you didn't have to-" he starts.

"Nonsense," Rachel shakes her head, grinning at him. "It's really quite a good movie and a very positive influence for young people. And besides, I wanted to."

He kind of just gapes at her for a second before snapping back into reality. She went and _watched_ the move, too? He knew she cared, but, like… _wow_.

Suddenly her smile fades.

"I… uh…" she stammers, her face falling. "I hope you don't mind, Finn. I just… well, I'm so out of touch with children's movies and, well, _everything_ related to children, really. I wanted to have something in com-"

"Rachel, relax," he says with a reassuring smile. "It's really awesome of you. Thank you." Her expression softens and he looks down at Sophie. "And what do you say to Rachel?"

"Thank you," Sophie says softly, smiling shyly.

"You're very welcome," Rachel grins back, tucking some of Sophie's hair behind her ear.

Sophie and Rachel just look at each other for a moment before Sophie lets out a big yawn.

"You ready to go back to bed, Soph?" he asks.

She shrugs, hugging Merida tighter, and he knows she's still kind of scared.

"How about I read you the book Rachel got you first?" he asks, turning on the light on the nightstand. "Then you can see if you want to go to bed."

Sophie nods, and he knows full well she'll be out like a light halfway through. Rachel gets up and steps back, giving him a small smile.

"There's some warm milk here if she wants it," she nods over to the bedside table.

"Thanks," he smiles as he lays down on the bed with his back against the pillows.

Rachel bites her lip and nods again before murmuring a soft "goodnight". The timid expression is back on her face as she heads for the door, like she's overstepping some unspoken boundary with him or something. He can feel Sophie's body tense as Rachel walks away. She sits up in his arms, anxiously pushing herself upright against his chest.

"Rachel?" she calls almost pleadingly, her voice soft and just as timid as Rachel looks.

Rachel turns back to her and Sophie looks at Rachel with the best puppy-dog eyes he's ever seen her make.

"Stay please…?"

**gleegleegleeglee**

She… she wants her to _stay_?

Rachel's mouth drops open a little in shock as she looks back at Sophie. Ok, she _definitely_ wasn't expecting that, but her heart swells uncontrollably just the same.

"Sure," she nods before she even realizes what's happening.

This girl is doing something to her. She's always loved kids, but there's something about Sophie that makes her heart turn into a puddle of mush just like _that_. The scariest part is, she's only actually known Sophie for _maybe_ five hours. It really does kind of freak her out a little. She's… well, she's falling head-over-heels for this kid if she's being perfectly honest. Then again, she's _Finn's_ daughter – biologically or not. How could she have thought anything else was going to happen?

She doesn't even look at Finn as she sits down on the bed. She didn't mean for this to happen, and she feels bad because it's sort of like she's encroaching upon his job as Sophie's father. No – she _totally_ is. But Sophie asked so politely, and just _look_ at that face.

She offers Sophie a gentle smile and smoothes her hair. Before Rachel knows it, Sophie's little hand is clasped firmly around her shirtsleeve and she's tugging gently as if to get her to lie down.

Rachel lies down a bit awkwardly, settling in next to Finn. Now she _really_ feels like she's intruding. She looks up at him sheepishly. Much to her surprise, he has an equally, if not _more_ embarrassed look on _his_ face. He mouths a silent "sorry" to her, and for the first time it dawns on her that she's totally giving him the wrong impression. Her body immediately relaxes against his and she opens her mouth to tell him that, no, that's not it at all, she's actually really enjoying-

And then it happens.

Her breath hitches and her heart jumps into her throat as Sophie nestles against her chest. Rachel looks down, her mouth slightly agape as Sophie snuggles into her body so that she's half in Finn's arms and half on top of her as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

Something frighteningly automatic takes over her, and she immediately reaches her arm over Finn's so that she's holding Sophie, too. Sophie's soft hair is brushing against her jaw and she seriously has to fight the urge to kiss the top of her head. Rachel's heart pounds in her chest as she looks up at Finn before a nervous, sweet smile spreads across her face. Relief flickers through his eyes before an almost identical smile tugs at his lips.

Some line has definitely been crossed here, but she could care less. It's crazy, sure. What's happening to her is absolutely insane. Three months ago she was just Rachel Berry, Broadway singing sensation. All that mattered was _her_, her, and more **her**. And, yet, she just spent the vast majority of the past week re-watching every Disney movie she could get her hands on from _The Little Mermaid_ to _Pocahontas_, scouring The Disney Store in Times Square for _Brave_ toys, and thinking about Finn and Ashley during every waking moment she wasn't on stage. In short: to say she has it bad is the understatement of the century.

"You read, too, please?" Ashley asks softly, bringing her hand down to rest over Rachel's heart.

"Yeah, sweetheart," Rachel nods. "Daddy and I can-"

She stops. _Daddy and I_. That makes her sound _perilously_ close to being a… – oh, God, she never even _thought_ she'd have to think of this until _at least_ after marriage – a… _mom_. The word alone scares her half to death. Come to think of it, so does the name "Shelby" and the last name "Corcoran".

"Your Daddy and I can read it together," she finishes.

Ok, so she's not quite ready to take the leap yet and she slides a "_your_ daddy" in there to create a little space. So sue her. She's twenty-five and the idea of being a mom is just a _tiny bit _daunting. What's even scarier is that she's actually thinking about this after not even three months of dating Finn. They're not engaged. They haven't been dating for years. No, they're still in the "honeymoon stage" according to most people. And she's already thinking of motherhood. Great. She's officially going _insane_.

What scares her the most is that she actually kind of maybe likes the sound of it.

"Does that sound good?" she asks, trying to silence the whirlwind in her head.

Sophie nods and Finn hands Rachel the book.

"Alright…" she smiles, opening the storybook. She subconsciously drops her head so that her cheek is against Sophie's forehead and begins to read. "Once upon a time…"

**gleegleegleeglee**

Rachel lets the book fall closed over her thumb before letting out a soft sigh. Sophie is fast asleep on top of them both with her arms wrapped around Merida and a fistful of Rachel's shirt in her hand. He reaches over and takes the book from Rachel before tucking it under his leg.

The silence between them is really awkward, and he feels bad because he thinks he put her in a bad position throwing her into the shark tank so quickly.

"Thank you for doing this," he whispers, timidly glancing over at Rachel.

She immediately turns to him, her eyes a little wide.

"Oh, I… I enjoyed it," she smiles a bit.

Her cheeks and ears are starting to turn red, and it kind of makes him feel worse. He shouldn't have let Sophie ask Rachel to stay.

"Look, I'm really sorry," he says, swallowing. "I didn't know she was gonna ask you to stay and read to her. I-I shouldn't have put all this on you. I wanted tonight to be chill and stuff so you didn't feel, like, pressured, I guess."

"Finn," she murmurs, grinning as she reaches out her hand from where she's holding Sophie to soothingly brush her fingertips over his thigh a few times, "I didn't feel pressured. I had a great time tonight. Best date ever, really."

"…Seriously?" he blinks.

"Yeah," she smiles. "Absolutely." Her smile fades a bit. "Well, I mean, I hate seeing her upset, but I'm glad I could help. And I really love spending time with the two of you." She pulls her hand away and bites her lip. "Honestly, I was a little afraid of you being mad at me for intruding upon your relationship with Sophie, or being too forward or something…"

"Really?" he frowns a bit. "No way. She loves you, Rach. And, let's face it, I need all the help I can get. I'm totally not gonna ever complain about someone actually helping my kid." His face goes slack for a moment and he backtracks. "But, I mean, um, well, I don't mean you like have to start parenting her or anything. I-I just… you're awesome with her, and, like, if you _want_ to help her and, like, watch out for her or whatever, you're more than welcome."

A huge smile spreads across Rachel's face, and it makes him feel really warm inside.

"I'd love that," she says softly.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to drop a review on your way to the next story!**


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